System and method to remotely provision out-of-band system

• US 10,372,939 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2017
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Kondapi, Srikanth, Martell, Nathan F., Kozlowski, Jr., Joseph, Teshome, Abeye
• Primary Examiner(s): Pich, Ponnoreay
• Application Number:
  US15/611,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20180349634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

In one or more embodiments, one or more systems, methods, and/or processes may create a task configured to configure an out-of-band system of an unconfigured information handling system and discover configured information handling systems and unconfigured information handling systems that include respective out-of-band systems operable to perform the task independently of respective main processors. The one or more systems, methods, and/or processes may provide, via a network, the task to the respective out-of-band systems of the unconfigured information handling systems. In one or more embodiments, the one or more systems, methods, and/or processes may create another task configured to unconfigure the out-of-band system that was configured via the task configured to configure the out-of-band systems and may provide, via the network, the other task to at least one information handling system that was provided the task configured to configure the out-of-band system.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory medium coupled to the processor;

wherein the memory medium stores instructions executable by the processor and as the processor executes the instructions, the system;

creates a task configured to configure an out-of-band system of an unconfigured information handling system;

discovers, via a network, a first plurality of configured information handling systems;

discovers, via the network, a second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems that include a respective plurality of out-of-band systems operable to perform the task independently of respective main processors; and

provides, via the network, the task to the respective plurality of out-of-band systems of the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further:

creates an organizational unit;

modifies a database to include a capability that indicates a presence of an out-of-band system;

creates a first collection that is configured to store first information indicating the first plurality of configured information handling systems;

creates a second collection that is configured to store second information indicating the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems;

stores a digital certificate that is utilizable in conducting authenticated data communications; and

creates a template that includes a profile, that includes a configuration and at least one security policy setting, utilizable with the respective plurality of out-of-band systems of the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the organizational unit manages permissions of the first plurality of configured information handling systems.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the digital certificate is signed by a certificate authority.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein when the system provides, via the network, the task to the respective plurality of out-of-band systems of the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems, the system provides the task to the respective plurality of out-of-band systems of the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems via a transport layer security encryption session that utilizes a digital certificate.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further:

creates another task configured to unconfigure the out-of-band system that was configured via the task configured to configure the out-of-band system; and

after the system provides, via the network, the task configured to configure the out-of-band system of the unconfigured information handling system to each of the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems, the system provides, via the network, the other task to at least one information handling system that was provided the task configured to configure the out-of-band system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein when the system discovers, via the network, the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems, the system determines discovery information that includes at least one of a configuration, a state, a firmware version, and a capability of each of the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems.

8. A method, comprising:

creating a task configured to configure an out-of-band system of an unconfigured information handling system;

discovering, via a network, a first plurality of configured information handling systems;

discovering, via the network, a second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems that include a respective plurality of out-of-band systems operable to perform the task independently of a respective main processor; and

providing, via the network, the task to the respective plurality of out-of-band systems of the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

creating an organizational unit via an active directory;

modifying a database to include a capability that indicates a presence of an out-of-band system;

creating a first collection that is configured to store first information indicating a first plurality of configured information handling systems;

creating a second collection that is configured to store second information indicating a second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems;

storing a digital certificate that is utilizable in conducting authenticated data communications;

creating a template that includes a profile, that includes a configuration and at least one security policy setting, utilizable with a plurality of out-of-band systems respectively corresponding to the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the organizational unit manages permissions of the first plurality of information handling systems.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the digital certificate is signed by a certificate authority.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the providing, via the network, the task to the respective plurality of out-of-band systems of the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems includes providing, via the network, the task to the respective plurality of out-of-band systems of the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems via a transport layer security encryption session that utilizes a digital certificate.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

creating another task configured to unconfigure the out-of-band system that was configured via the task configured to configure the out-of-band system; and

after the providing, via the network, the task to the respective plurality of out-of-band systems of the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems, providing, via the network, the other task to at least one information handling system that was provided the task configured to configure the out-of-band system.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the discovering, via the network, the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems includes determining discovery information that includes at least one of a configuration, a state, a firmware version, and a capability of each of the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium comprising instructions, executable by a processor of a system, that when executed by the processor, the system:

creates a task configured to configure an out-of-band system of an unconfigured information handling system;

discovers, via a network, a first plurality of configured information handling systems;

discovers, via the network, a second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems that include a respective plurality of out-of-band systems operable to perform the task independently of respective main processors; and

provides, via the network, the task to the respective plurality of out-of-band systems of the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 15, wherein the system further:

creates an organizational unit;

modifies a database to include a capability that indicates a presence of an out-of-band system;

creates a first collection that is configured to store first information indicating the first plurality of configured information handling systems;

creates a second collection that is configured to store second information indicating the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems;

stores a digital certificate that is utilizable in conducting authenticated data communications; and

creates a template that includes a profile, that includes a configuration and at least one security policy setting, utilizable with the respective plurality of out-of-band systems of the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 16, wherein the organizational unit manages permissions of the first plurality of information handling systems.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 15, wherein the system further:

creates another task configured to unconfigure the out-of-band system that was configured via the task configured to configure the out-of-band system; and

after the system provides, via the network, the other task configured to configure the out-of-band system of the unconfigured information handling system to each of the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems, the system provides, via the network, the other task to at least one information handling system that was provided the task configured to configure the out-of-band system.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 15, wherein when the system provides, via the network, the task to the respective plurality of out-of-band systems of the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems, the system provides the task to the respective plurality of out-of-band systems of the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems via a transport layer security encryption session that utilizes a digital certificate.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 15, wherein when the system discovers, via the network, the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems, the system determines discovery information that includes at least one of a configuration, a state, a firmware version, and a capability of each of the second plurality of unconfigured information handling systems.